{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T11:25:04Z","timestamp":1788866704004,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,19]],"date-time":"2021-11-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1637280000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,24]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Hospital samples collected in gel separator tubes are often submitted to forensic toxicology laboratories for analysis in impaired driving and death investigations. Drug adsorption to the gel separator material may lead to underestimation of the drug concentration present at the time of sample collection, potentially affecting the interpretation of analytical results. Using liquid chromatography--tandem mass spectrometry (LC--MS-MS), decreases in plasma concentration of 53 drugs and metabolites relevant to forensic toxicology casework were investigated in samples stored in BD Vacutainer\u00ae PSTTM tubes for up to 3\u2009months. After storage for only 1 day, approximately 50% of the drugs and metabolites had significantly lower concentrations in plasma separation tubes (PSTs) compared to non-gel tubes (up to 27% lower). After storage for 3\u2009months, approximately 75% of the drugs and metabolites had significantly lower concentrations in PSTs compared to non-gel tubes (up to 69% lower). Fentanyl, carfentanil, ketamine, diphenhydramine and several antidepressants were among the drugs most susceptible to adsorption. Central nervous system stimulants (e.g., methamphetamine and amphetamine) as well as naturally-occurring and semi-synthetic opioids (e.g., morphine, hydromorphone and oxycodone) were among the drugs least susceptible to adsorption and displayed only minimal relative decreases in concentration (if any) over the 3-month sample storage period. The potential for decreases in drug concentration due to adsorption of drugs to the gel material should be considered for toxicological interpretation based on the analysis of a sample collected in a gel separator tube.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkab118","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,19]],"date-time":"2021-11-19T07:08:45Z","timestamp":1637305725000},"page":"999-1007","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Adsorption of Therapeutic and Recreational Drugs During Prolonged Storage of Plasma Samples in Gel Separator Tubes"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"46","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1419-1365","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cara L","family":"Shepard","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Toxicology Section, Centre of Forensic Sciences , 25 Morton Shulman Avenue, Toronto, ON M3M 0B1, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liora","family":"Bliumkin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory Services Section, Centre of Forensic Sciences , 25 Morton Shulman Avenue, Toronto, ON M3M 0B1, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"2023031315055872000_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"456","DOI":"10.1093\/ajcp\/101.4.456","article-title":"Absorption of therapeutic drugs by barrier gels in serum separator blood collection tubes. 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Systematic analysis of physico-chemical properties predicts stability of common used drugs in gel separator serum tubes","volume":"462","author":"Steuer","year":"2016","journal-title":"Clinica Chimica Acta"},{"key":"2023031315055872000_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"335","DOI":"10.1097\/FTD.0000000000000708","article-title":"Stability of 21 antihypertensive drugs in serum collected in standard (nongel) serum tubes versus tubes containing a gel separator","volume":"42","author":"Hegstad","year":"2020","journal-title":"Therapeutic Drug Monitoring"},{"key":"2023031315055872000_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"807","DOI":"10.1136\/jclinpath-2014-202466","article-title":"Suitability of Becton Dickinson Vacutainer rapid serum tube for collecting and storing blood samples for antibiotic and anticonvulsant drug monitoring","volume":"67","author":"Yan","year":"2014","journal-title":"Journal of Clinical 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